Scarecrow
"Its only a small volume." -Scarecrow in reference to his published book of poems. "Hello... I'm scarecrow." -Scarecrow beginning a seduction. "Sister Moon! Shine down your radiance!" -Scarecrow invoking the magic that comes with being an enchanted scarecrow and not the regular kind. " I shall give you a proper name as my prophet! From now on you shall be called Endaimodion!' -Sister Moon. "How about Jack?" -Scarecrow selecting a name for himself that fits better with his brand. Scarecrow is one of the protagonists of the Alpha campaign of Contested Legacy/lineage and has yet to appear in the beta campaign. Scarecrow is a wandering bard with lust for life so great that it can only be rivaled by his actual lust. He is a charming, naive, cultured, fame craving lutist burdened by the knowledge that he lacks a soul. Scarecrow is torn by his desire to be a real boy and the fear that know one will care about his music if it comes from a regular person as opposed to a magic scarecrow. Backstory Creation Scarecrow was created by the wizard and inventor of Garnier shampoo d Liam Garnier in an attempt to woo his longtime crush Jill. Liam's hope was that he would look like a catch if he invited Jill to a dinner party where to only other single guest was a sentient scarecrow. It took Liam's crack team of poorly paid and treated scientists years to figure out how to bring a scarecrow to life but on April 1st 4287 EY at 4:20pm, after 68 attempts, he succeed with a scarecrow they had stolen from a cornfield. It came to life a startled and frightened thing unable to articulate its thoughts. Liam was unsatisfied and demanded the scientists teach the creature how to speak and behave itself before the dinner. After all, it would not have been good for Liam if the scarecrow made a scene. Fortunately for the scientists the scarecrow proved to be much brighter than anticipated. He amazed the scientists with the speed with which he learned the common tongue and they desperately wanted study the scarecrow after the dinner. Scarecrow's first memory as a sentient being was being adored and fawned over. Unfortunately for the scientists and Scarecrow as he now called himself (the scientists were not authorized to name him and Liam did not care to think of one) Liam was made insecure at how easily this talking straw man charmed and delighted his normally depressed employees. Jealous of how well this monster made friends Liam ordered that it be locked up so as not to acquire any other positive traits and that it be burned after the dinner. Prison Sacred, lonely and ignorant as to why he had been imprisoned Scarecrow came to miss his time as a regular scarecrow. His only companion was the moon he grew to worship it as the only natural thing he could see in his cell. Philips, the scientist charged with being Scarecrow's watchman continued to talk with Scarecrow. He kept the bored Scarecrow entertained with stories, songs and poems of great heroes. He even taught him how to sing and play the lute. He taught him how to read and write in hopes of seeing what this strange creature might create in his solitude. Scarecrow would write and sing to Philips of the happy simple time he spent as a regular scarecrow in a cornfield. He would use his magic to produce flowers and moonlight. However, Philips kept Liam's cruelty a secret from Scarecrow and as a result the naive straw man came to love his creator from afar. Much of his early poems and songs are odes and hymns to the glory of his distant creator. All Scarecrow knew about his purpose is that he existed so that one day he could have dinner with Liam and a beautiful woman called Jill. Scarecrow dreamed of that day thinking it would be the day where all his questions would be answered; the day when he could leave his cell to see the world again, the day he could share his love for music, art and stories with the world. He kept writing eventually produced a small volumes of poems that he called "The Nightwatchman" after his only friend Philips. Moved by its beauty the scientist gave it to a local printer who began to publish copies without charge while Philips set the profits aside for Scarecrow. He was not going to let Liam take the life of someone who loved living more than anyone he had ever met. The Dinner Eventually the day of the dinner came but before Liam's guards came to escort Scarecrow to Liam's friend Steve's house Philips told Scarecrow the truth but Scarecrow refused to believe him. He thought that his only friend had betrayed him. Scarecrow went with the guards to Steve's but was left alone upon arrival. Liam did not want things to look unnatural. However, Scarecrow grew distracted by the Kandinsky prints Steve's wife Tara had put up. Philips had given him a book of the paintings exhibited at a retrospective in the capital and he had grown fond of them. Liam grew nervous at Scarecrows absence, assumed Philips had betrayed him and briefly slipped away to give the order to have Philips killed. However, Scarecrow did show up apologized, explained his delay and bonded with the beautiful Jill over their mutual appreciation of Kandinsky. Liam was not happy. Liam tried to silence Scarecrow by offering Jill wine every time Scarecrow tried to answer Jill's question about being enchanted. "Well there are two kinds of Scarecrows. There's the regular kind and then there's the enchanted kind which can walk and talk and do that thing with the moon." "And you're -" "Enchanted " "Well all I can say is me too" -Scarecrow explaining his nature to an enchanted Jill. Eventually Liam pulled Scarecrow aside for a talk. "WHAT THE 'ELL DO YA THINK YAR DOING... DO YA EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? DO YA EVEN KNOW WHY YAR ALIVE! IT'S SO I COULD *censored*." "That's... that's what this was all about? That's why I'm here?" "YES YOU IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU THINK ? THAT YOU WERE SOME KIND OF SON TO ME? YA THINK I CARE ABOUT YA? WELL I DON'T! I GAVE YOU LIFE SO I COULD HAAAAAVE. SO IF YA DON'T SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP I'LL THROW YA INTO A BLOODY FIRE PIT YA HEAR?" "Yes Monsieur Garnier" -Liam's exchange with Scarecrow. Scarecrow realized that Philips was right about Liam being the worst. Scarecrow was not going to just sit back and let Liam play his games. Scarecrow would be the one to haaaaave. Upon getting back to the dinner table Scarecrow proceeded to completely ignore Liam and flirt with Jill. He summoned flowers for her and let a copy of his book fall out of his hat. "You're a published poet!" "It's only a small volume" "Would you read for us?" "Well, If I must. This is from my book The Nightwatchmen" "Oh and do that thing with the moon too!" "Ok alright. SISTER MOON! SHINE DOWN YOUR RADIANCE!" -Scarecrow seducing Jill By the end of the night Scarecrow and Jill were out having in the cornfield Scarecrow had once guarded with Liam powerless to stop it without looking like a jerk. Not thinking of Jill or even Philips, Scarecrow got up the next morning terrified of Liam catching him, thrilled with sex and ready to travel all across the world he had heard so much about. He was extremely excited about all the things he would see and do, all the people he would make happy and all people he would haaaave. Wanderings He began to travel all across the empire singing and story telling for anyone who would listen. He loved the landscapes and saw the best in everyone. When people started giving him money he had little idea as to what to do with it as he only eats for the joy of a good meal and not for sustenance. He never had a problem finding a warm bed as he had gotten quite good at haaaaving, and he had no desire to settle down and fill a house with things lest Liam catch up to him. He had no need for fine clothes as his simple peasant attire was the only thing he had to remind him of the simple joy of being a regular scarecrow. It was a wonderful time but on those rare nights where he sat up alone the dread of his own existence crept in on him. He had no purpose. He had no soul. There would be no afterlife for him because he was not made by the gods. The closest Scarecrow came to settling down was when he enrolled in a Bardic College after he was mocked for not having a degree. Scarecrow enjoyed the books, songs, stories and sex but eventually grew restless with staying in one place for too long and slept with the dean in exchange for a degree. He continued on northward eventually meeting Lucentio Hapsberg. Relationships Liam Garnier Scarecrow fears and hates Liam for bringing him to this world and for having the power to bring him out of it. Sometimes he wishes that Liam would turn him back into a regular scarecrow but deep down he knows he has experienced too much to find happiness in that life anymore. He wishes Liam acted like a kind, benevolent, wise and merciful father but knows he never will. After much personal growth Scarecrow eventually confronted Liam and "fixed" him. Lucentio Hapsberg Scarecrow sees many things in Lucentio, a friend, a surrogate father figure but most importantly his ticket to fame. Scarecrow is familiar with enough tales of adventure to see a hero in the making and Scarecrow hopes to secure his immortality by writing his story. Scarecrow also knows that's exactly the sort of thing Lucentio wants to hear and uses that to join his entourage. Scarecrow panders to Lucentio's dandyist beliefs but sees his role in it as a chance to have more sex. Scarecrow's performances do generate Lucentio hundreds of thousands of gold but Scarecrow is happy to let Lucentio take care of the money. Lucentio gets the gold and Scarecrow gets the women. Though they started out as a match made in heaven tensions began to rise when Lucentio learned that Sacrecrow never "turns it off". In retaliation Scarecrow decided he'd sleep with Lucentio's mom but after much soul searching and divine intervention he realized that it was wrong to sleep with a friend's mother. Since then the two have been on better terms and Scarecrow is currently off recruiting forces to help Lucentio defend his home from the forces of the Underdark. Atmos Slibard Scarecrow sees Atmos as a hero and a friend. He is grateful for Atmos accompanying him to Dixie and enjoys the stories of his exploits. Scarecrow cares little if Atmos makes them up or not as Scarecrow loves entertainment too much to notice if Atmos is lying. Furthermore Scarecrow looks up to Atmos for all the times he has haaad. Shamash M'Go Princess Shiryan He views her as a tyrant for persecuting his friends but was thrilled upon having slept with her as Scarecrow coveted the bragging rights of having bedded royalty. He did everything he could to use the princess' affections to secure the release of Lucentio and Atmos to no avail. Scarecrow plays at being an imperial patriot in order to enhance his fame and earn the support of both the princess and the general. Shiryan was touched and saddened when Scarecrow supposedly sacrificed himself to aid the imperial army in their struggle against the north. This earned him a hero's funeral in the capital where his is still mourned. Of course this is all a farce and Scarecrow awaits the day when he and Lucentio will stage a "resurrection" for the "Great Patriot Scarecrow" to renounce the royals and embrace the truth of Dandyism. The hope being that this will cause a dandyist revolt. Oakley Boughregard Scarecrow had heard stories about Dixie's greatest hero and admired Boughregard until meeting him in person. Though he found him very much the man of myth Scarecrow was horrified by the way the dryads treated the gnomes of Dixie. Though Scarecrow initially sympathized with the dryads in their struggle for freedom he lost it when he realized that Boughregard would never listen to the truth about Reverend Wheatfield. The experience of seeing the death of so many gnomes struggling to be free from their masters changed the formally apolitical Scarecrow and seeing the blatant hypocrisy in Boughregard turned Scarecrow off the South for good. However he recognizes that the powerful dryad is not someone to cross and prefers to maintain a distant yet cordial relationship in the event they meet again. Though Scarecrow does not relish the thought. Personality Category:Characters Category:Alpha Campaign Category:Early Heroes